Review: Beirut Rock New York City

“I can’t believe we’re playing here,” Beirut leader Zach Condon said as he looked out over the crowd of his second night selling out Terminal 5 in New York. He seemed genuinely surprised with his success, which has only escalated with the recent release of third LP The Rip Tide. Condon and the rest of the band gave their audience their all with a rich, finessed performance. The set highlighted tracks from The Rip Tide, including “Santa Fe” and “Vagabond,” but didn’t neglect older fan favorites such as “Scenic World” and “A Sunday Smile.”

Throughout the set, Condon remained grounded yet triumphant, deftly switching between trumpet and ukelele from song to song. The show wasn’t over after an extended rendition of “The Gulag Orkestar.” Condon re-emerged for a second encore, playing “The Penalty” solo before bringing his band back onstage for an exuberant cover of Kocani Orkestar’s “Siki Siki Baba,” drawing the set to its final close.